Free JURY SUMMONS - Tennessee

JURY SUMMONS
You are hereby notified that you have been selected for jury service in the trial courts of [insert county] County, Tennessee. You must report to [insert room number or name] at the courthouse in [insert city], Tennessee, on [insert report date] at [insert report time]. Unless you are notified by the court that you are not required to appear, you are subject to being held in contempt of court and being fined up to five hundred dollars ($500.00) plus court costs if you fail to appear. If, in order for you to report for jury service or serve as a juror, you require assistance or modification due to a qualified disability, please contact the ADA Coordinator, [insert name of ADA coordinator], at [insert phone number]. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JUROR QUALIFICATION FORM IF YOU ARE INELIGIBLE TO SERVE, WISH TO BE EXCUSED, OR WISH TO POSTPONE YOUR SERVICE, RETURN THIS PORTION TO THE COURT BY MAIL WITHIN 10 DAYS
NAME AND ADDRESS: [insert juror's name and address] PHONE [To be provided by juror]: ______________________________________ ELIGIBILITY: A person is only eligible for jury service if he or she is at least 18 years of age, is a citizen of the United States, has been a resident of [insert county] County for at least 12 months, has not served as a juror during the previous twenty-four (24) months, and has not been convicted of perjury, subornation of perjury, a felony, or any infamous offense. If you believe you are ineligible to serve, list the reason(s) below. If your ineligibility is due to a criminal conviction, list the name(s) of the offense(s) of which you were convicted: _____________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ POSTPONEMENT OF SERVICE: Jurors may request a temporary postponement of their jury service. If you wish to request a postponement, complete the following: 1. Have you previously been granted a postponement of jury service? Yes No; 2. List a period of [insert the required time period] within the next 12 months when you will be available to complete your service: ____________________; 3. If you have previously been granted a postponement, list the extraordinary event, such as a death in your immediate family, sudden grave illness, natural disaster, or national emergency which you believe qualifies you for another postponement:___________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ EXCUSE FROM SERVICE: Jurors will only be excused if serving will cause an undue or extreme physical or financial hardship. Such a hardship may be present if the juror has a mental or physical condition which causes the juror to be incapable of performing jury service, or if the juror would: (a) be required to abandon a person under such juror's personal care or supervision due to the impossibility of obtaining an appropriate substitute caregiver during the period of participation in the jury pool or on the jury; (b) incur costs that would have a substantial adverse impact on the payment of the juror's necessary daily living expenses or on those for whom such juror provides the principle means of support; (c) suffer physical hardship that would result in illness or disease; or (d) be deprived of compensation due to the fact that the prospective juror works out-of-state and the out-of-state employer is unwilling to compensate the juror, or that the prospective juror is employed by an employer who is not required to compensate jurors and declines to do so voluntarily. An undue or extreme physical or financial hardship does not exist solely based on the fact that a juror will be required to be absent from the juror's place of employment. If you wish to assert such a hardship, explain the nature of the hardship and enclose an affidavit, income tax returns, medical statement from a licensed physician, proof of dependency or guardianship, or any other documentation which may be relevant to your request. Failure to provide satisfactory documentation may result in the denial of your request.______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________

JURY SERVICE INFORMATION SHEET
Congratulations on being selected for jury service in [insert county] County! Your service is essential to the administration of justice, and your participation is greatly appreciated by the judges, attorneys, and parties. The constitutional right to a jury trial is critical to our judicial system, and jurors are a crucial part of the process. Serving as a juror is not only an obligation, but a right and privilege. Thank you for serving. A judge and jury coordinator will be available to answer any questions you have concerning your service when you appear on [insert date]. However, you may also find the information below helpful. [You may also wish to insert a website and/or contact phone number/e-mail address] Directions to the Courthouse and Parking Information: [insert address, driving directions, available parking locations, and information regarding parking fees] Length of Service: Your term is [insert days/months] in length. You will not be required to be at the courthouse each day, but will merely call a recording [insert days/time] to see if you are needed. Attire: Jurors must be dressed appropriately while in the courthouse. Although the judge will determine whether jurors' attire is appropriate, jurors should not wear shorts, short skirts, sagging pants, see-through or suggestive clothing, visible undergarments (including undershirts and tank tops), flip flops, house shoes, bandanas, headbands, hats/caps, or clothing with inappropriate or offensive advertisements or slogans. Prohibited Items: Jurors may not bring drugs, alcohol, or weapons into the courthouse. If you require medication during your service, contact [insert name of ADA coordinator] at [insert contact information] prior to the date of your appearance. Permissible Items: Jurors should listen closely when being addressed by a judge, jury coordinator, or other court personnel. However, there may be periods in which jurors are required to sit quietly and wait for the next step in the jury selection process. During those periods, jurors may read, use their computers, talk on the phone, play hand-held video games, listen to music through headphones, drink non-alcoholic beverages, or eat snacks. These items are not provided by the court, so jurors may wish to bring the items with them to the courthouse. Compensation by Court: Jurors will receive [insert amount] for each day's attendance. Jurors will also be reimbursed for mileage at a rate of [insert amount or delete this sentence if inapplicable to your county]. Employer ­ Compensation: If an employer employs less than five people on a regular basis or if the juror has been employed by an employer on a temporary basis for less than six months, the employer is not required to compensate the juror during the period of jury service. All other Tennessee employers must provide a juror's usual compensation for the time the juror actually spends serving and traveling to and from jury duty. An employer has the discretion to deduct the amount of compensation the juror receives from the court. You may request a certificate of attendance when you report for jury duty if your employer requires such a certificate. Employer ­ Excused Absences: An employer must excuse the juror from employment for each day the juror's service exceeds three hours if the juror shows the jury summons to the employer upon receipt of the summons. A juror who works the night shift or the hours immediately preceding the hours court is normally held should contact the jury coordinator at [insert contact information] for additional guidance. NOTE TO COUNTIES: The summons and jury information sheet are provided for your convenience and may be amended to comply with your county's requirements. However, please note that each county's summons must include the items listed in T.C.A. § 22-2-306.